Context: Recently, the Indian Silverbill was spotted singing by birdwatchers in the capital.

About Indian Silverbill

• The IndianSilverbill (Lonchura malabarica) prefer dry open country and cultivation.
• They inhabits dry, open, cultivated as well as sparse scrub-and-bush country and avoid humid forest.
• The black central tail feathers are slightly elongated and the upper tail coverts are white.
• It is protected under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• It is listed as ‘Least Concern’ as per IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
• It is found in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Iran and Israel.
• Indian silverbill has been accidentally introduced into many other parts of the world and has established itself in Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, USA and Virgin Islands.
• It is a sparrow-like bird but much plainer in appearance, is a widespreadresident in the Indian Subcontinent, except in certain areas of the North-West and North-East India and the Himalayas.

Source: The Hindu